BARRACUDA WEEKLY (3.16.17)

Mar 16, 2017

SAN JOSE ROLLS THROUGH WEEKEND WITH BACK-TO-BACK SHUTOUTS

WEEKLY REWIND

Saturday, March 11 – BARRACUDA 1 vs. Grand Rapids 0 (F/SO)

The San Jose Barracuda and Grand Rapids Griffins failed to score in 65 minutes of play on Saturday night at SAP Center but in a shootout Kevin Labanc and Danny O'Regan each beat Griffins netminder Jared Coreau to earn the two points and the 1-0 victory. In the shootout, the first three shooters were turned aside, but Labanc's sensational close range dangle dropped Coreau on his chest before lifting the puck into the open net. Matt Lorito had countered for the Griffs before Danny O'Regan won the game with a five-hole shot. Troy Grosenick made 22 saves to collect his eighth shutout of the season.

Sunday, March 12 – BARRACUDA 3 vs. San Diego 0

The San Jose Barracuda used 25 Troy Grosenick saves and a pair of second-period goals to shutout the San Diego Gulls, 3-0, on Sunday afternoon at SAP Center. The shutout was Grosenick's second in a row and league-leading ninth overall. After a scoreless first in which San Jose was outshot 10-to-4, Danny O'Regan (19) netted the game's first tally at 13:31 on the power play. O'Regan sniped a shot from below the left circle and just under the crossbar. A minute and five seconds later, on the penalty kill, Buddy Robinson stole the puck in his end, raced down the ice and beat Kevin Boyle backhand-to-forehand at 14:36. In the third, Grosenick stopped all nine shots he faced, and Barclay Goodrow (19) sealed the victory with an empty-netter at 18:29. Boyle took the loss after giving up two goals on 25 shots.

Tuesday, March 14 – BARRACUDA 4 at Bakersfield 3

The San Jose Barracuda scored three opening-period goals before fending off a furious Bakersfield Condors comeback to win 4-3 at Rabobank Arena on Tuesday night. The Barracuda opened up the first-period scoring on the power play at 4:20 as Julius Bergman (3) stepped into a slap shot from the right circle and beat Nick Ellis over the left pad. Rourke Chartier (14) added to San Jose's advantage by sneaking a short-side shot over Ellis's shoulder and under the bar at 8:47. Less than a minute later, Jon Martin (2) ended Ellis's night with a sneaky-quick wrist shot from the right wing at 9:32. Ellis lasted nine minutes and 32 seconds and allowed three goals on 13 shots before getting pulled. In the second period, a pair of open-ice hits by Braden Christoffer prompted Zack Stortini to drop the mitts with Christoffer at 11:47. Stortini won the fight, but a minute and six seconds later Mark Olver centered a pass from below the goal line to Justin Fontaine (11) who beat Troy Grosenick over the left shoulder at 12:53. San Jose countered and pushed its lead back up to three as Jacob Middleton (1) fired a rebound past Jonas Gustavsson at 15:21 for his first professional goal. In the third, Jordan Oesterle (6) stepped up from the left point and fired a shot inside the far post at 6:11 to cut San Jose's lead to two. Less than three minutes later Jaedon Descheneau (2) poked home a loose puck on the backdoor at 9:03. Despite the two third period goals, the Barracuda stopped the bleeding and held on for the 4-3 win. Grosenick (25-8-3) stopped 26 shots to earn the victory while Gustavsson suffered the loss after allowing one goal on 17 shots in 48 minutes and 52 seconds of relief.

On Friday, the Barracuda and Stockton Heat kick off a home and home at SAP Center. San Jose is 3-1 against the Heat at home this season and 5-3-0 overall. The Heat sit one point behind the fourth-seeded Bakersfield Condors but is coming off a 3-2 loss on Wednesday night in San Diego. The Barracuda are 5-1-0 against the Heat since dropping the first two games of the 12-game season series. San Jose is 18-1-1-1 over their last 21 games and hold the best home (20-4-1-2 = .796), road (17-8-1-2 = .661) and overall winning percentage in the AHL (37-12-2-4 = .727).

- The Barracuda have the best home (20-4-1-2 = .796), road (17-8-1-2 = .661) and overall winning percentage in the AHL (37-12-2-4 = .727).

- San Jose is five points away from clinching a playoff spot in the Pacific

- San Jose ranks in the top five in the league on the power play (2nd: 26.9%) and penalty kill (5th: 21.1%)

- San Jose is second in the AHL in goal differential (+54)

- Troy Grosenick is first in the AHL in shutouts (9), second in save percentage (.929), third in goals-against average (2.03), second in wins (26).

- San Jose has given up the least amount of goals in the AHL (137)

- San Jose has the most shutouts in the AHL this season (11)

- Danny O’Regan is first among AHL rookies in points (19+31=50), second in assists, fourth in goals, t-second in power-play goals (6), and T-10th in points overall in the AHL.

- Among defensemen, Tim Heed is third in the AHL in points (12+34=46), second in assists, sixth in power-play goals (7), T-second in game-winning goals (4) and is tied for T-20th overall in the league in points. Heed has points in nine of his last 11 games.

- Joakim Ryan is T-10th among AHL defensemen in points (7+28=35), seventh in assists, and is third in the AHL in plus/minus (+27).

- Marcus Sorensen’s 10-game point streak is the longest in Barracuda team history